Will Banksy reveal his real name: the artist is being sued

Two collectors have filed a lawsuit against Pest Control, a company owned by graffiti artist Banksy. Nicky Katz and Ray Howes accuse the company of not fulfilling its obligations and refusing to certify the painting "Monkey Queen" they bought for three years.

This was reported by SSPDaily.

The Pest Control website says that it issues certificates of authenticity for works by Banksy, which it equates to a technical passport in the art world.

"This means you can buy, sell, or insure a piece of art knowing it's legal," the website says.

Banks is known for his graffiti and stencil images that ridicule government officials. His works are sold for fantastic multimillion-dollar sums, and autographed prints at auctions cost tens or even hundreds of dollars.

The high price of Banks's works is partly due to the aura of mystery surrounding the artist's personality. The media has repeatedly tried to expose the person hiding behind this pseudonym, but none of the "suspects" has been firmly linked to the scandalous and mysterious artist.

Katz and Howes claim to have sent the painting "Monkey Queen" to Pest Control, explaining that they bought it for £30,000 in 2020 without any supporting documents.

"We are still in limbo, and this is a lot of money. They claim to be the official validators of this artist's work. But this has been going on for three years. They just don't answer. They don't say whether the image is real or not. For three years we have been led by the nose," Niki Katz is indignant.

According to him, he no longer sees any other way out but to go to court.

Katz also says that Banksy has disappointed him. Because all his manipulations are aimed only at artificially raising the price of the work.

John Brandler, a leading specialist in the sale of graffiti artists' works, also believes that Pest Control's behavior is market manipulation, and that certificates of authenticity are issued only to the "right" people.

"This is not authentication. If someone finds a Titian in their attic, no one asks, 'Who are you and where did you get it? It's either Titian or it's not. In the case of Banks, it's different: "Who are you and why should I confirm it to you?" says Brandler.

Pest Control commented on the situation with collectors very cautiously.

"Our authentication process is robust and thorough, and sometimes lengthy. We have issued many thousands of certificates of authenticity," the company said.

As a reminder, Banksy declassified his name in a lost interview 20 years ago. The conversation was recorded in 2003.